Frans de Waal, Francis of Assisi and a different perspective on the mirror test

In this contribution, a different perspective on the so-called mirror test will be presented and Frans de Waal himself will be shown to play a crucial role in this new perspective. Having known Frans both in person and as a public figure and having noted striking similarities to Francis of Assisi, a different perspective on the mirror self-recognition test as intended by Gallup seems necessary to address the current polycrisis appropriately. As the polycrisis could be considered a consequence of human hubris and a capitalist economy that has gone completely haywire, the human species needs to meet the criteria of this alternative view on the mirror test to turn the tide. As role models, both Frans de Waal and Francis of Assisi show us the direction humanity should head.